Closed face fishing reels are well known to the art and have been manufactured in large quantities at comparatively low cost for many years in a variety of embodiments. Representative of the earlier reels and the well developed and rather crowded state of the art are the many U.S. patents issued to R. D. Hull, including among many others U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,541,360; 2,668,025; 2,675,193; 2,964,257; 3,020,666; 3,059,873; 3,088,691; 3,185,405; 3,259,333; 3,469,799; 3,481,554; 3,489,365; and 3,552,674.
Closed face spinning reels of the general type contemplated herein typically include a non-rotatable line spool from which fishing line is paid out and retrieved by an appropriate pickup element rotated by a crank mechanism geared thereto; a line brake to hold the line during the initial phases of casting; an anti-reverse mechanism to prevent the rotation of the crank handle in the payout direction; and a closed face housing completely enveloping the reel mechanism and including a thumb button for actuating the line brake and preparing the internal mechanism for casting.
In one type of closed face spinning reel, a line carrying spool is normally non-rotatably mounted on a hub which projects forwardly from a reel frame. The line spool is axially fixed and normally non-rotatable; however, provision is made for limited rotary slippage or "drag" of the spool relative to the reel frame for controlled withdrawal of line from the spool. During casting, the line is drawn off and over the spinnerhead of the spool by the momentum of the lure and travels through a line guide in a cover generally surrounding the spool. In the reel of the present invention, the line spool is fixed to the housing by a double-locked bayonet-type connection and is non-rotatable at all times, i.e., it is provided with a "locked drag" or "zero drag".
Retrieval of paid out fishing line may be effected in reels of this type by a cup-shaped spinnerhead mounted on a rotatable main shaft carried by the reel frame and driven by a crankshaft appropriately geared therewith. Advantageously, the spinnerhead of such a reel includes a rearwardly directed flange having notched, line engaging edges and mounting a line brake ring on its forwardly facing surfaces. Typically, the reel also includes a crank assembly to effect the necessary rotation of the main shaft to retrieve paid out line. Advantageously, a selectively actuatable anti-reverse mechanism is also included in the reel to prohibit rotation of the retrieval mechanism in a line payout direction. The line brake is actuated by a thumb button to clamp the line between the brake ring and cover housing preparatory to casting and also to displace the spinnerhead into a position in which the aforementioned notches are non-interfering with line payout.
The aforementioned basic closed face reel components have taken a variety of shapes, forms and structures in the constructions of the prior art. However, there are certain improvements therein in the nature of simplification and/or rearrangement and/or restructuring of parts which, advantageously lead to a reduction in manufacturing expense, a simplification of assembly and use of a closed face spinning reel, a ruggedization of the overall reel assembly, and an enhancement of reel reliability and response.
In accordance with the invention, the new reel further includes an improved housing assembly including a cylindrical rearwardly facing, deep drawn cup-shaped frame body, the flat transverse vertical main wall of which supports an annular, forwardly facing groove for receiving the rearwardly facing free edge of a notched spinnerhead. The groove is uniquely formed by a pair of nested concentric annular rings, one of which has integral circular flange portions riveted to the front face of the frame body main wall, and the other of which has a forward flared edge portion. The flared and non-flared forward edges of the rings are sufficiently spaced apart to define a spinnerhead receiving groove. A pair of cup-shaped covers telescope the frame body and define two "keyhole" shaped lock screw openings at opposite edges thereof, which openings receive the shanks of and are engaged and secured to the reel frame body by enlarged locking portions formed on the undersides of the heads of the lock screws.